TOKYO, March 1. /TASS/. A man over the age of 70 has died from a coronavirus in the Japanese prefecture of Hokkaido, the authorities of Japan’s northernmost region announced on Sunday. According to authorities, this is the third victim of the new coronavirus in Hokkaido. To date, the total number of deaths from the infection in Japan has reached 12 people. The highest infection rates were registered on the northern island of Hokkaido. There are 66 people with coronavirus in hospitals. On Friday, the authorities of the prefecture declared a local emergency mode on the island.
According to the latest data from the Japanese Health Ministry, the total number of infected in Japan is 947 people. Of this number, 705 people got infected on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship. The ship was anchored near Yokohama and has been quarantined since February 5.
On December 31, 2019, the Chinese authorities reported to the World Health Organization about an outbreak of pneumonia of unknown etiology in Wuhan, an economic and industrial megalopolis with a population of 12 million. As of today, more than 50 countries and territories, including Russia, have reported confirmed coronavirus cases.